First sentence: This is a book about the law of God in all of its life-giving beauty. In the church today there exists a great forgetfulness about the role of the law in the life of the believer. This book is an exercise in remembrance.

Jen Wilkin's newest book, Ten Words to Live By, focuses on the Ten Commandments. It might be easy to think, well, I don't need to read (more) about the Ten Commandments. I know the Ten Commandments. I know all I need to know about the Ten Commandments. And do the Ten Commandments even have any relevance for a believer's life?! (I'm supposing this last one). But Wilkin's book IS relevant and timeless.

I read Ten Words to Live By devotionally--one chapter per day. Though I don't believer this one is being marketed as a "devotional" book, I think it makes an excellent one. Each chapter ends with verses for meditation, questions for reflection, and an invitation to prayer.

Wilkin writes in a way to challenge believers to think, reflect, consider. This is obvious in the types of questions she asks readers at the end of each chapter!

From chapter one:

1. Before reading this chapter, how would you have rated your obedience to the first commandment? After reading it, how would you rate yourself? What insight accounts for the change in your diagnosis?
2. What idol are you most tempted to worship alongside God? What are you hoping to control or avoid by this dual allegiance?
3. What current sinful behavior can you trace to worshiping something alongside God? How does forgetfulness of your costly deliverance factor into the way you respond to temptation?
4. In the introduction, it was noted that laws help us live in community. How does the first word help the children of God to live in community with one another? How does doublemindedness harm Christian community?

Perhaps you’ve felt like the rich young ruler.

He came to Jesus asking what he should do to gain eternal life. Pointing him to the commandments, Jesus led him, yet, “all these I have kept from my youth” (Luke 18:21) he declares.

Then, Jesus extends an invitation: sell everything, and follow me.

The man he just addressed as “good teacher,” presents him with a bold summons. A step of humility, obedience and trust, revealing it wasn’t so much about the rules, as it was about the desires of the heart. Yet, he went away “very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:23).

The ten commandments are familiar to those who have grown up in the church. So familiar that we mentally check off the list, with a false sense of righteousness for what we seem to have accomplished through following the moral law. Building for ourselves, with some ease, a faith of outward actions.

But how much deeper are the things of the heart.

Jen Wilkin’s new book, “Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands” invites us to explore the ten commandments, not merely as rules for our adherence, but as truths to believe, enjoy and follow. She teaches us the historical context of the commandments, as the people of Israel understood them, and encourages us toward a deeper, expansive obedience, leading us to wrestle with the issues of our own hearts.

She writes, “while legalism builds self-righteousness, lawfulness builds righteousness.” The journey to righteousness is not found in ourselves, but in Christ alone, through the salvation he purchased for us through his life, death and resurrection. We have what he has freely given us.

Yet, while we have been saved by grace, through faith, we keep on stretching our obedience in faith, by repenting of our sin, and pursuing Christlikeness. This is where the law helps us, because, “obedience to the law is the means of sanctification for the believer.”

Why does it matter?
Enticed by the trend of self-sufficiency, we seek measures and checklists to define our qualifications as followers of Christ. Longing to be affirmed and validated by our works we observe the commandments and give ourselves a ‘gold star’ for meeting the criteria.

But is Christianity about rules, or is it about relationship?

Jen answers this by saying, “the Christian faith is absolutely about relationship. But while that faith is personal, it is also communal. We are saved into special relationship with God, and thereby into special relationship with other believers.”

The Ten Words instruct us to live as a people who honor God and others, in our thoughts, words and actions. This is how we learn to become more like Jesus, by clinging to the Word, thus guarding our heart, “for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov 4:23), and, “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

What do I think?
“The Ten Words show us how to live holy lives as citizens of heaven while we yet dwell on earth. For the believer, the law becomes a means of grace.”
I appreciate Jen’s books; her teaching challenges me to dig deeper in the Word, and to reflect on my own journey to Christlikeness. If you’re looking for teaching on the law, and how it applies to your life today, I highly recommend this one! 5 stars from me!

**A big thanks to Crossway and Netgalley for a copy of this book, and the opportunity to post an honest review!

This is an awesome book about the Ten Commandments, or "Ten Words". And don’t let that fool you. Even if you can recite all Ten Commandments by heart, by reading this book, I would venture to say, that you WILL walk away with a new, fresh look at the Ten Words.

Jen Wilkin boils down her perspective on the Ten Words herself … “I propose that we determine not just to remember the Ten Words, but to love them, to see beauty in them, to seek encouragement from them, and to live by them. They stand ancient and timeless, as for ransomed Israel, so for us; a feast of righteousness spread in the wilderness, fortifying our hearts for the journey home.”

Wilkin guides you through the Ten Words, one at a time; breaking them down, and really expounding on what they truly mean and how we can and should be applying them to our life today.

Each Word is brought back to Heaven, and how it will play out in the future. What a wonderful thought for reflection in difficult times…and really…at all times.

Ten Words to Live By is not a light read. (And this is a good thing). You will need to put your thinking cap on, and it’s well worth the effort. This book is strongly Biblical, and if you are anything like me, will convict you as well as uplift you.

This would make a fantastic Bible study, and I hope that Jen Wilkin comes out with a companion Bible study book to work through. In the meantime, there are questions for reflection at the end of each chapter as well as Bible verses to meditate on for each “Word”.

Overall, I recommend this book highly.

Another homerun of a book from Jen Wilkin. If you like and are familiar with Wilkin's pervious books, this one will fit right in. It is an in depth look at the 10 Commandments from a wholistic Biblical perspective. Wilkin dives deep into what the Commandments mean and what they do not mean. There is a final refrain in each chapter that when we follow the commandments, we are bringing God's kingdom here on earth. The follow up Biblical passages and question do a great job of bringing the truth of each chapter home.

Ten Words to live by. Ten words to show us the pattern of Christlikeness and to stir in us a longing for the kingdom to come. Ten words to convict us, to shape us, and to give us hope. Ten words that Jesus came not to abolish, but to fulfill. Though for us they are prohibitions, for Jesus they proved prophetic. The Ten words rest like a benediction from the Father to the Son on the eve of carnation.
You shall have no gods before me.
You shall not make a graven image.
You shall not take my name in vain or break my Sabbath
You shall honor earthly authority.
You shall not murder, or commit adultery, or steal, or bear false witness.
You shall not covet the estate of another.
Jesus Christ fulfilled the law, opening the gate of salvation. "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12.
The law will be either our demise or our delight.

Maybe just like me you have read several books on the Ten commandments. Watched the classic the Ten Commandments, or listened to a great sermon on the 10 commandments. So how could there be anything new. I have heard it all before. I have to say this bible study was intimate look at the heart of God. I never saw the essence of God in any teaching of the ten commandments as I did with this one. Just to be clear, I have failed each one. For many reasons. Some deliberately, some without thinking, and some with justification. So if we are doomed to fail what is the point. This text answers this and more. It does not leave the reader in despair but in hope for something better. I hope every Christian will read this book.

A special thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

In Ten Words to Live By, Jen Wilkin does a great job taking the Ten Commandments issued in the Old Testament and showing us how following them should look today. When Jesus Christ came to earth he didn't nullify the commands, He required more. He showed us that it's not outward obedience that matters but a deeper obedience, obedience of the heart.

Jen does a great job of breaking down each command and showing us what is required of us to follow these commandments today. She shares how it's not as simple as thinking "I haven't murdered someone, check that one off." But how it goes deeper, instead of being "not-murderers" we need to be "life-protectors". I appreciated the in-depth approach she took for each commandment.

I soaked this book up and am planning on sharing it with all my friends, I think this will be a great book to work through together with a small group of believers.

10 Words to Live By links each of the Ten Commandments with teachings by Christ in the New Testament. The book gives an eye-opening look at how these commandments are still applicable to our faith today. Interesting and challenging!

Jen Wilkin's new book, Ten Words to Live By, is for anyone who would like to dig deeper into the Ten Commandments. As a companion to my bible, I read Exodus while using this book as a guide to each of these teachings. I was truly impressed by Ms. Wilkin's knowledge and expertise on the subject. Her insight opened my eyes to so much that I had not considered before. I will highly recommend this lovely book for those hoping to enhance their relationship with Christ and His word. Thank you NetGalley and Crossway Books for this advanced copy.

In this new book, Jen Wilkin takes a deep dive into the Ten Commandments and shows how the commandments are not irrelevant to Christians today. She looks at each of the commands and provides historical context to help the readers understand why God instructed His people to follow that particular command. She also applies each of the commands to our modern way of life in a way that is both gently convicting and thought-provoking. By the end of the book, Wilkin makes it clear that the Ten Commandments are not something that can be forgotten or tossed in the dust bin, but rather they are essential to rightly worshipping God and loving those around us.

I am a long time appreciator of Wilkin's books. I learn a lot from her insights and always find them to be so helpful as I study the Bible. This book is no exception! I wouldn't say that I had forgotten about the Ten Commandments, but it's easy to gloss over them because it's a section of scripture that is thoroughly explored for anyone who grows up in a Christian family and feels really familiar . I particularly appreciated how she highlighted the tension between legalism (using good behavior as a standard for finding favor in God's eyes) and lawfulness (obeying the commands that God has given out of a love for Him). She distinguishes between them by stating that "legalism builds self-righteousness" while "lawfulness builds righteousness."

I also appreciated the historical context she brings. She goes back to the Israelites' time in Egypt and what their culture may have looked like then to help us understand why God was giving them these new standards as He was showing them what it looks like to be part of His family.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone who may have heard of the Ten Commandments, but struggles to see how they apply to us today. It's also a great read for anyone looking to thoroughly study and better understand this portion of scripture.

A big thank you to Jen Wilkin, Crossway, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book.